Tire-chain hook



Aug. 28, 1923. 6 1,466,615

- A. FALSTRAULT TIRE CHAIN HOOK Filed March 1. 1925 IN VENTOR WITNESSES vl5? A TTOBIVEY8 Patented Aug. 28, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT orr cs.

ALFRED FALSTRAULT, OFJERSEY CITY," NEW JERSEY.

, TIRE-CHAIN HOOK.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, ALFRED FALSTRAULT,

mode of attaching or detaching crosschains' and side chains with .one another, in ad. dition to requiring an unnecessory expenditure of time and labor, is crude and inefficient in practice and repeated bending of the hooked ends of the hook members materially decreases the life of the hook mem- I 20 b ers. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hook of this character which facilitates the connection or disconnection from the cross andsidechains and which operates as an effectual means of connection t-herebetween.

As a further object the invention contemplates an attachment for the usual form of hook of this character, which attachmentv converts the hook into a snap hook and which attachment is readily applicable toor removable from the hook element when de-v sired whereby the hook element, may be attached to or removed from the end link of across chain. 7 i i k IVith the above recited and other objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction set forth in the following specification, particularly pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, it being understood that the right is reserved to embodiments other than those actually illustrated herein to the full extent indicated by the general meaning of the term in expressed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective,

view illustrating a hook member constructed in accordance with the invention in its ap-- plied position on a tire chain.

Fig. 2 is a face view of the hook.

Fig. 3 is a side view thereof.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view therethrough taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

vments of I of a tire chain which the claims are which and the end of the main body portion Application filed-March 1, 1923. Serial No. 622,221.

Fig. 5 is a collective perspective view illustrating the hook member and the elethe attachment in disassociated re lation. i

- Referring to" the drawing by characters of reference, 10 designates a p'ortion'of a cross chain and 11 a portion of the side chain structure. -The common form of hooks 12 which are now employed for connecting the cross chains to the side chains are'ot substantially U-shaped formation with theirbight portion 13 engaging the end link of the cross chain and their free ends 14 bent in hook form to it around one of the links of the side chain after which. the extremities '15 are hammered into engagement with the side legs 16 of the hook members 12 to retain the same in substantially eye formand prevent accidental displacement of said hooked ends 14. In practice, it is therefore necessary to pry the extremities 15 away from the side legs 16 to disengage the hooked ends lat from the side chains 11. Repeated bending of the h'ooked ends 14 tends to weaken the hook members 12 and limits their life orusefulness. Furthermore it is not unusual that in re-applying the hook member to the side chain, that the extremities 15 are not bent far enough to insure against their disengagement which may result in the cross chains becoming loose and damaging the fenders or body of the automobile.

The present invention therefore contemplates an attachment for the hook member 12 of the character set forth which consists of a base comprising a U-shaped section 18 which is adapted to extend transversely across the side legs and embrace the same and a seco-nd section 19 having a central longitudinal rib 20 providing rabbets 21 at opposite sides therewhich receive the side legs. The attachment further includes a leaf spring 22 provided at its inner end with a parallel return bend 23. between underlies the extremities'15 of the hooked ends 1% the inherent resiliency of'saidspring member maintaining its free end against the extremities 15 while yieldably permitting the snapping;- of the hooked ends 14 into engagement with the links of the side chains 11. T he sections 18 are sufficiently spaced from the hight 13 to form in conjunction therewith a loop or eye 29 for the reception of the end link of the cross chain 10 which is applied to the hook member 12 prior to the association of the attachment therewith.

1 claim: I

1. An attachment for the hook member of a tire chain which connects the cross chains to the side chains, comprising a leaf spring adapted to yieldably engage at its free end with the hooked extremities of the hook member means "for detachably clamping the opposite end of said spring to the might end of the hook niember, said latter means comprising clamping sections and means extending through said clamping sections and the spring for retaining the same against separation.

2'. An attachment for the hook member of a tire chain which connects the cross chains to the side chains, comprising a leaf spring adapted to yieldably engage, at its free end with the hooked extremities of the hook member, and means for detachably clamping the opposite end of said spring to the bi'ght end of the hook member, comprising a pair of clamping sections one of which is of substantially U-shaped cross sectional configuration, and the other or which is provided with a longitudinal rib on opposite sides o1 which the arms of the hook member are arranged, and a screw extending through the clamping sections and the springtor retaining the same against relativeseparation.

ALFRED FALSTRAULT; 

